Straddling The Fence
by MichaelRizzoli
Summary: A group of Shadowhunters have been illegally summoning demons and killing them for sport. Alec, Jace, Clary, Isabelle, Magnus, and Simon go out to stop them before they start causing real trouble. But what's happening to Isabelle? Rating changed to M for potty mouths and other, more fun things. Future Femslash. Isabelle/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, this came to me randomly since I'm currently reading City of Lost Souls, and I wanted to see where I could take it. This is my first story on this account, and my first TMI fic. Not really set during any of the books, but Simon is a Daylighter, and Sebastian/Jonathan is alive.**

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Cassandra Clare; all characters you don't recognize belong to me unless proven otherwise xD**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"So, let's just go over this again. These are not mundane, they're Shadowhunters. They're slaying demons. And we're going to _stop_ them? This is a joke right?"

"Jace, shut up. I'm trying to explain." A very frustrated Alec Lightwood ran his fingers through his dark hair and glared at Jace with tired blue eyes. "I'm just telling you what mom said. We're supposed to-"

"Slaying demons is part of the job. So-"

"Jace, please," Alec pleaded with his fair haired _parabatai._ "This is really important-"

"Someone's a little cranky. What's wrong? Did Magnus keep you up all night with his magical warlock di-"

"_Jace."_ It was Clary who spoke this time, sounding just as tired as Alec looked.

Jace blinked at Clary and quieted, but not before releasing a very dramatic sigh.

Alec nodded thanks at Clary and continued talking. "Okay. So, there have been several reports of a group of young Shadowhunters that have been summoning demons."

"But Shadowhunters can't summon demons..." Clary commented.

Jace leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on the table. "So they have a warlock friend. Big deal. We have a Warlock friend to."

"_I_ have a Warlock friend. Magnus doesn't like you, Jace." Alec mumbled.

"Oh really? A Warlock _friend_? Does Magnus know that you two are only friends?"

"Jace. Seriously_,_" Alec rubbed his temples. "Anyway, it's illegal for Nephilim to slay demons unless they are posing a threat to mundanes. However these Shadowhunters are summoning demons, a Warlock or otherwise, they have to be stopped and brought before the Clave."

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Clary asked, now a little more awake. "And why is it so urgent that we had to be woken up at 2:30 in the morning?"

"Jace, you and I can go and talk to Magnus. Surely he knows the best way to go about doing this."

"Sure," Jace shrugged. "He probably _knows_ the Warlock that's doing it. Probably has him on speed dial."

Alec shot Jace a look.

"And what about me?" Clary asked.

"You and Isabelle- Izzy?"

Clary glanced at the dark haired Shadowhunter beside her. Isabelle had fallen back asleep with her head leaning on her arm.

"Isabelle!"

Isabelle jerked awake. "What?"

"Izzy have you heard anything I've said?" Alec asked irritably.

"Yes, yes of course. You and Jace are talking to Magnus, and Clary and I are going to…do something." Isabelle said, rubbing her eyes.

"Izzy…"

"I'm awake now, don't worry." Isabelle yawned, and Alec sighed.

"Alright. Izzy, you and Clary will find out where they are. Mom says that their hide out is supposed to be in a glamoured warehouse near East 117th Street in Manhattan."

"And what?" Clary asked. "Take them out ourselves?"

"Of course not," Jace spoke up. "We don't even know how many there are. They can't-"

"They're not going to fight them," Alec said dismissively. "They're just going to scout. See what they can find out."

Isabelle put her head down on the table with a thud. "And we _really _have to do this _now_?"

"We have a responsibility to the Clave, Izzy. We have to-"

"I know, I know." Isabelle said, cutting off her brother. She drew out her stele and began drawing an energy rune on herself.

Jace stood up and stretched looking at Clary. Isabelle had begun drawing a rune on her too and she was pulling her red hair into a pony tail. She glanced up at Jace and their eyes met. She smiled at him unconsciously and Jace's lips tugged up into a smile in return.

"Well come on, lover boy." He said turning to Alec. "Let's go see Magnus."

* * *

"What have you got for us today, Cygnus?"

The Warlock, looking no older than 18, lifted his head from the book he was reading. His grey eyes glinted in the light as he flicked his black hair from them. He smiled, his perfect teeth shining.

"This one is known by the name of Apophis." He stood, his forked tail sticking out from under his cloak. He walked around the pentagram that was drawn on the ground and began chanting in a foreign tongue, still holding the smile that Vincent thought was creepy.

"Ready yet?"

Vincent didn't even turn his head at the sound of his brother approaching. They were twins, Both boys had dark blonde hair and light blue eyes. Vayne was 2 minutes younger, and they could only be distinguished by speaking, because Vayne's voice was slightly higher.

"He's summoning now. Is this one yours?"

"It's mine," a female voice rang out. The two brothers turned to see a tall, lithe girl walking up towards them.

"Alaina? You slew one just last night." Vincent stated curiously.

The girl, Alaina, was beautiful by every stretch of the imagination. Her flowing brown hair, normally reaching her shoulders, was pulled into a ponytail. Her equally brown eyes shined brightly against her pale skin. She wasn't dressed in Shadowhunter gear- they never were- just jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt covered by a hoody.

"I'm bored though." Alaina sighed. Vayne smirked and Vincent furrowed his brow.

"Fine. But you get no assistance. Cygnus, are you done yet?"

"No."

The warlock had stopped chanting and was holding his arms over the pentagram. The trio watched as long gashes opened up on each of his arms and his too-red blood spilled onto the pentagram. The ground began to crack and steam hissed out. The pentagram began to glow and Cygnus stepped back, still smiling, the gashes on his arms healing themselves. He kept his arms outstretched.

The ground split open wide and an enormous snake began to emerge. The demon towered over the four of them and opened its mouth in a low hiss, its fangs glistening with venom and its mouth dripping black ichor.

_How dare you summon me, Warlock. I have no business with Nephilim._ the demon hissed, the words coming out in several different voices.

"Apophis, can you attest to this Shadowhunter's power?" Cygnus asked, rubbing his gloved hands together, his fingers sticking out of the holes he had cut in them. Blue flames glinted on the tips of his fingers signaling his control over the pentagram.

_Power? _ The demon laughed. _There is no need. Nephilim are weak._

"Then you should have no problem fighting me, demon." Alaina said stepping foward, a Seraph blade in her hand, another hanging from her belt. A freshly drawn Agility rune shown on the side of her neck.

"We'll leave you to it. See you back at camp." Vincent said, walking off with Vayne close behind. Vayne flashed Alaina a thumbs up as he left.

Cygnus turned to Alaina. "I'll be dropping the barrier soon. Are you ready?"

Alaina nodded and whispered to her blade. "Rachiel."

The blade sprang to life and glowed in her hands. She stared at it for a moment before turning back to Cygnus. He nodded at her and turned back to Apophis.

"Can you kill this Shadowhunter, Apophis?" Cygnus grinned, his fingers twitching.

_I will devour you both. _Apophis hissed.

"We'll see." Cygnus smiled as he dropped his arms.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, that's it for this chapter. Feels good to be back on here :) I can't promise scheduled updates, I'll update when I finish a chapter.**

**Reviews are like Christmas presents. You wouldn't want to deprive me of my Christmas presents, would you? :o**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter Two!**

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to the lovely Cassandra Clare, I'm just harassing them. All other characters are mine, and I'm going to harass them anyway ;)**

* * *

"Can you kill this Shadowhunter, Apophis?" Cygnus grinned, his fingers twitching.

_I will devour you both. _Apophis hissed.

"We'll see." Cygnus smiled as he dropped his arms.

* * *

The Moment Cygnus dropped his arms, Apophis lunged at him Spitting venom and ichor. Cygnus Waved his arm in a sweeping motion causing lightning to emerge from his fingers and striking the giant snake. It shrieked and slithered backwards.

"I am not your opponent right now, Apophis," Cygnus said, his eyes blazing. "The Shadowhunter is."

The demon hissed and turned its head towards Alaina, who gripped her blazing Seraph blade readily.

It lunged at her, striking trees and burning the ground with its venom. She dodged Apophis, jumping out of the demon's way at the last second, landing on the ground smoothly and turning. Its tail whipped out and struck her, sending her sailing into a tree. She hit the ground with a thud, her blade sticking into the ground several feet away.

She rolled to her side just as the demon spat venom at her, the sleeve of her jacket getting burned in the process. She grunted as the acidic liquid burned through her clothes and onto her skin.

She glanced around, looking for her fallen blade and placing a hand on the one on her belt. She was about to draw it when she spotted the blazing weapon just behind Apophis.

Alaina stood and jumped onto a low hanging branch, using the lift to move higher into the tree. The demon hissed and spat more venom at her, burning the tree, but missing her. The young Shadowhunter hung down on the branch and Apophis snapped at her. As the demon snapped again, Alaina swung and drove her foot into the side of the giant snake's head, straight in the eye, with all the strength she could muster. It shrieked and thrashed its head around, falling to the ground.

Alaina dropped down from the tree and sprinted to where her fallen blade was. She narrowly missed being sprayed with venom as the Demon continued thrashing about.

Just before she reached the blade, Apophis grabbed her ankles with its tail, slinging her backwards. Alaina could hear Cygnus' laughter and clapping in the distance as she slammed into another tree.

_Foolish Nephilim. You are too weak._ Apophis hissed, slamming the Shadowhunter into another tree. Alaina grunted each time the demon slammed her against a tree, but never cried out. She reached for her other seraph blade and pulled it from her belt.

"Zophiel!"

The moment the blade sprang to life, Alaina sliced through the air and straight through Apophis' tail. The demon screamed and Alaina fell to the ground, part of the serpent's tail still around her ankles.

The tail melted into bubbling Ichor and Alaina stood clutching her blade. Ichor spewed from the stub where Apophis' tail used to be.

Alaina rushed towards the still screeching demon and swung her blade in a quick motion opening a gash in Apophis' stomach. More ichor sludged out and the demon continued to shriek. She jumped onto the nub where the demons tail used to be and ran up the demon's body, prepared to end her fight, but Apophis slammed its head into her sending her crashing to the ground. The demon then lunged at Alaina, its fangs glistening with Venom.

Before it could reach her though, she rammed the blade right into its mouth. The blade came out through the back of its head, coated with ichor. Venom sludged onto Alaina's arm and she winced as it burned her skin, relieved that she narrowly missed having the demon's fang puncture her shoulder. Apophis shrieked a final time and fell silent, its body falling limp on the ground.

"Take that, bastard."

She kicked its body to the side and yanked her sword out, causing more ichor to slosh out. The demons body burst into flames and disintegrated and her blade went back to its normal state. She got up and walked over to where her fallen blade lay and slid them both into her belt.

Cygnus was clapping and laughing like a child when Alaina walked back over to him.

"Oh, that was so good. You are so good!" he laughed. "I always enjoy watching you, Miss Rainier. You're such a feisty fighter!"

"And you," Alaina began as she pulled out her stele, "are a very creepy guy."  
As if in response, Cygnus started smiling his creepy smile as they headed back towards their camp, a freshly drawn _iratze_ on Alaina's arm.

* * *

"What the _heck_ is this?"

Clary turned to her dark haired passenger with raised eyebrows. "It's Goteye."Somebody That I Used To Know." Everybody knows this song, Izzy."

Isabelle grimaced and put her head back against the window. "I don't like it."

"Well," Clary huffed, turning the radio up. "Too bad. This is my car, and my iPod."

They had only been driving for about 10 minutes, and even at 3 AM it seemed as though every single person in New York was on the road. It was raining, and this was the type of weather that Isabelle slept the best in. But she couldn't sleep now, not with the effects of her energy rune buzzing through her body.

"Baby you light up my life like nobody else, the way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed. But when you-"

"What the heck is _this_?" Isabelle groaned, grabbing Clary's iPod.

"One Direction." Clary laughed. "I put it on there to annoy Simon and it kinda grew on me."

"Well it's definitely _not _growing on me." Isabelle replied muting the song. "Don't you have anything- Really? You have a 'Jace' playlist?"

"I do," Clary smiled. "Songs that remind me of him."

"'Call Me Maybe?' reminds you of Jace? 'Moves Like Jagger?' _'I Kissed A Girl'_?"

Clary glanced at the iPod and frowned. "I'm gonna kill him. Jace messed with my playlist again. The last time, he put a bunch of Russian songs on it."

Isabelle laughed and scrolled down to a band she recognized. "You have _Halestorm_. I never would have guessed." she said, setting the device back down as the familiar guitar riff to 'Love Bites (So Do I)' came blasting through the speakers.

"I saw them live once with Simon. Lzzy has such a powerful voice." Clary responded, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel in time with the drums.

"Speaking of Simon," Isabelle started, "How is he? Last I heard from him, he was getting another gig for 'Skyward Squirrels'."

"They're 'Lethargic Leopards' now." Clary laughed. She turned to Isabelle and noted the far away expression the dark haired Shadowhunter wore. The face that Isabelle was currently wearing made Clary feel like she was in the car with Maryse Lightwood instead of Isabelle. "Are you okay, Izzy? With Simon and Maia-"

"Simon and I were a _thing_, Clary. We weren't _together_. But he deserves to be happy, and I'm happy for him."

Clary kept her eyes on Isabelle.

The fast paced 'Love Bites' was replaced with the somber 'Familiar Taste of Poison' and Isabelle reached out to change it.

"You deserve to be happy too, Izzy."

Isabelle scoffed. "Is this the part where you tell me that you're dumping Jace because it's actually been me you've been in love with this whole time?"

"I- _What_?"

Isabelle grinned and turned her head to stare out of the window at the rain. "It was a joke, Fray. Just a joke."

* * *

Alec fumbled with his keys outside of Magnus' apartment as Jace tried to lecture him on the reasons why "Someone with indefinable beauty like mine shouldn't be forced to stand out in such horrid weather."

"I told you to get an umbrella." he replied as he unlocked the front door and shooed Jace inside. "And take your shoes off."

Jace mumbled something about "knowing his rights" as Alec slid his own shoes off. The lights in the kitchen and living room were on, a purple fire blazing in the fireplace that shouldn't have even been there. Alec looked down the hall and saw the lights on in both Magnus' study and their bedroom.

"Magnus?" Alec called out. "Are you awake?"

Jace went to stand in front of Magnus' magical fire to warm himself as Alec walked down the hall. He rubbed his hands together and glanced up at Chairman Meow curled up on the mantle.

His pocket buzzed and he pulled out his phone.

_Love You_

Jace's fingers flew over the screen as he typed a response.

_Don't text and drive. Love you too._

He slid the device back in his pocket and smiled.

His pocket buzzed again as Alec came back in the room with a confused expression.

"What's wrong?" Jace asked, ignoring his phone.

"Magnus isn't here."

* * *

**A/N: Just throwing this out there, Isabelle does NOT have romantic feelings for Clary. It really was just a joke. As you can see, Simon and Maia are together, Jordan is not in this story. This will be Isabelle/ OC but I haven't decided with whom. It might end up femslash, it might not. Anyway, Review! Because I won't update until I see some people taking interest in this :]**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: **Chapter Three! I have been waiting to post this since I uploaded chapter two, but I wanted to know people wanted to even read this. This chapter in particular was very hard to write. There's not a lot of interaction, and honestly, I thought it was boring. But anyway, here it is!**

**Also, thanks to Lulubird for reviewing! Seeing the notification in my inbox made my day! :)**

**Disclaimer: There's no need to sue, I don't have any money anyway T^T Clary and the gang don't belong to me. Alaina and the others do however.**

* * *

"Did you find anything?"

"Nope."

Clary sighed in frustration, and Isabelle crossed her arms in annoyance. When they arrived at the warehouse that Alec told them was the supposed hideout, the girls found out that the place was entirely abandoned. The doors, windows, and even the air vents were boarded shut, and the air stale and suffocating.

The floor was littered with trash and a thick layer of dust covered everything. No one had been in the warehouse since it shut down two years ago.

"Well then, now what do we do?" Isabelle huffed.

"I don't know." Clary sighed.

Isabelle threw her hands up. "Call the boys. See if Magnus knows anything."

Clary pulled out her phone and called Jace.

"Miss me already?" Jace's voice answered on the first ring. "You want me to send you a picture to hold you over?"

"As tempting as that sounds," Clary laughed. "We didn't find anything over here. The place hasn't been used in years."

Jace relayed the information to Alec.

"That's not possible." Clary heard Alec say. There was the sound of shuffling and then "Clary?"

"Hi Alec."

"Clary, they're in there _somewhere. _Keep looking."

"Okay. We'll give it another look." Clary replied, earning a groan from Isabelle. "What did Magnus have to say?"

"We...we haven't talked to Magnus yet."

"What? Why?"

"He…was asleep when we got here. He takes forever to get up."

"You would know." Jace called out, and Clary smiled.

"Okay you two. Let us know what he says."

"Sure." Alec said, and hung up.

* * *

"How did you do?" Vincent asked Alaina as she shrugged out of her burned jacket.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" she responded. She glanced at the healing burns on her shoulder. The skin was red and glossy and had a purplish outline around it as demon caused burns usually did. She tossed the ruined jacket to the floor and pulled out her stele. The burns were starting to hurt, which meant that that her _iratze_ was wearing off.

Vincent was leaning against the wall watching her as she drew another _iratze_.

"Oh, I had no doubt you wouldn't die. I just didn't think you would be so sloppy."

Alaina placed her stele down and stared down at the rune until the throbbing in her arm faded completely. Then, she turned to Vincent. "Sloppy?"

Vincent sneered and sauntered towards her. "Yes. Very sloppy." He said flicking his hair from his eyes. "Ruining that jacket I bought for you."

"It's not my fault. How was I supposed to know the damned thing could hock venom loogies?"

"Well," he scoffed. She arched an eyebrow at him and he shook his head. "Come to dinner." He finished, grinning.

"You are so very bi-polar." She breathed. "I'll be there in a minute." She said, waving her hand.

Vincent shrugged and left the room. "Say hi to Wolfram for me." He called.

Alaina changed her clothes and walked out in to the hallway-like tunnel that was connected to each room, almost knocking herself out on a low hanging light. She swore and kept walking. There were many downsides to living in a tunnel under the earth. Like low hanging lights.

She passed a group of her friends who were heading to the kitchen area to eat. She exchanged greetings with them and they continued on their separate paths. She reached a fork in the hallway and turned left, going deeper underground instead of using the right path leading to the surface. The left path was where Wolfram was.

At the end of the tunnel, in a wide and empty room, there he was, curled up on the ground and sound asleep. She smiled.

The she whistled.

Wolfram jerked awake and several things happened those next few moments. He whirled around, then growled and snarled running towards where she stood. Alaina put her hand on the dagger she kept in her belt, in case he didn't stop. Then he skidded to a stop as he recognized who was standing there, and began charging again. This time, however, he was panting and whining in excitement. He pounced on her, knocker her to the ground and began licking her face.

"Ugh! No! Wolfram, bad dog!" Alaina laughed, shoving the dog off of her. He whined, his tail whipping back and forth. "I know, I know. How about a walk?"

Alaina walked back into the hallway with Wolfram circling her heels, and turned into the tunnel leading to the surface. They reached the surface and Alaina turned to Wolfram.

"Sit for just a second."

She stepped forward and placed her hand on the wall. After feeling around for a bit, she found the groove in the wall and placed her fingers inside. The wall slid to the side with a scraping sound, revealing a metal door. She felt the wall again for the trigger and pressed it, unlocking the door. The lock was there from the days when the warehouse was active and the members did illegal trades underground.

She swung the door open and waved her arm forward. "After you."

She closed the door and heard the metallic click of its lock, then walked behind Wolfram as he bounded up the stairs. They stopped at the wall and Alaina pushed it aside, peering into the room. She was in what used to be the CEO's office. Wolfram nudged her legs impatiently and she stepped aside, letting him through, and slid the wall back in place.

"Shh." She reminded him.

She eased over to the service door in the back and pried it open as quietly as she could and the two of them slipped out.

* * *

"I think I know why he's not answering his cell phone."

Alec pulled his own phone from his ear and hung up. Standing in the hallway was Jace holding Magnus' cell phone. It had a heart-shaped trinket dangling from it, one that Alec had bought for him on Valentine's Day.

"Why wouldn't he tell me he was leaving?" Alec said, running his fingers through is black locks.

"Maybe because you didn't tell him you'd be coming over at-"he looked at the time on the cell phone's display. "-4:17 in the morning."

Alec made a face, a sarcastic remark dying on his tongue. "I guess so. I just-"

Alec whipped around at the sound of the lock jiggling on the door, keys sliding in. The door creaked open and Magnus slipped inside carrying a clear plastic bag and kicking the door closed with his foot. He was humming absentmindedly until he turned around and saw Alec and Jace.

"Alexander what on earth-"

"Where were you?"

Magnus' cat eyes gleamed in the light. "Where was I? I went out. And when I come back, my house is full of Shadowhunters. Care to explain?" he finished, settling his bag on the counter top in the kitchen. There was some kind of container in it.

"Two people do not count as a 'house full of Shadowhunters.'" Jace interjected. "Besides, we kind of need your help."

"You said I could come and go as I pleased."

"I did. I didn't say you can come in here at 4 in the morning, with Jace, and ask me stupid questions."

Jace looked from Alec to Magnus. "Did I just get ignored?"

"You think I'm stupid?" Alec asked, his eyes widening.

"I didn't- Alexander no, I don't think that for a second. I'm just a little confused as to what you and Jace are doing in my apartment at 4 am." Magnus said, staring Alec in the eyes. "I was craving Ice Cream. See?" he said reaching for the bag and holding it up.

Alec sighed. "I am stupid. This whole thing is stupid."

Jace folded his arms and said "Look. You guys can make up later, but we have to help Clary and Isabelle."

Alec glanced at Jace. "Oh, right. Magnus, we need your help."

Magnus laughed. "You Shadowhunters can't do anything alone, can you?" he smiled.

Jace rolled his eyes. "Quit flirting and get on with it."

* * *

**A/N: I apologize for this chapter. It probably sucked, but it was just a filler. I needed it in the story, otherwise it wouldn't flow right. Anyway, you can breathe now that this crap is over. Next chapter should be better, but only if I get some reviews (; Please? :o**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Chapter Four!**

**Disclaimer: Clary and the gang all belong to Cassandra Clare.**

* * *

Isabelle and Clary did a complete search of the warehouse, just as Alec said they should. Clary searched the upper levels, while Isabelle searched the ground floor and the basements. Isabelle was about to walk out to tell Clary, again, that this was a waste of time. She was tired, and they hadn't found anything. But just as she started to walk out, her ears pricked, and she turned around.

Something was moving between the walls.

Isabelle darted over to the wall and pressed her ear to the wall. Sure enough, she heard footsteps deep in the walls. Only her trained ears could pick it up, a set of slow footsteps and a set-or two- of faster, uneven ones. She closed her eyes and listened harder. The footsteps moved along the wall and Isabelle followed them, listening, until she stopped at the wall adjacent to it. She felt along the wall for a bit, and then darted back out into the main section of the warehouse.

"Clary!" she whisper-yelled, not wanting to rise her voice in case whoever was walking between the wall could hear her too. "Clary!"

"Izzy?" Clary called out. Isabelle looked up as Clary appeared, leaning over the balcony. "Did you find something?"

Izzy shushed her and waved for Clary to come down to where she was. Clary nodded her head and ran down the stairs. "Izzy what-"

"They're in the walls," Isabelle breathed. "I heard someone." She turned to Clary and pointed to the room she was in. "In there. I _heard _them."

Clary looked at Isabelle. "Do you think I could open it?" she whispered, her eyes lighting up.

"With a rune? God, Clary, why didn't I think of that!" Isabelle walked back into the room, Clary right behind her.

Clary pulled out her stele and closed her eyes. A rune came to her head instantly, and she drew it with her eyes closed. It looked like a square within a square and an oval in the very center. She pulled back and opened her eyes as the wall began to crumble. Isabelle and Clary peered into the space that the wall revealed, not needing their witchlights because there were lights hanging from the ceiling. They looked at each other for a moment before stepping inside.

"This is how they're getting in and out without being caught." Clary whispered. "Izzy, we have to tell Alec."

"Not yet," Isabelle shook her head. "Let's look around first." Her eyes were wide and she gripped her electrum whip tightly.

"But Izzy, we can't-"

"You go and tell Alec and Jace. I can look around." Isabelle cut in.

Clary shook her head. "Isabelle. We know where they are. We can come back."

Isabelle gripped her whip tighter and stared at Clary with wide eyes. The look in Isabelle's eyes was so startling that Clary took a step back. "If we both go, and they find this hole, they'll leave, Clary. They'll leave, and we'll go back to having nothing."

"Then I'll just reseal the hole. They'll never know we were here." Clary replied.

They looked at each other for a moment, and Clary sighed in defeat. "Fine," she said, throwing her hands up. "Fine, stay. I'll go and get Alec and Jace."

Isabelle nodded and Clary stared at her for a moment.

"Take my jacket," Clary said, shrugging out of it. "Put your whip in the inside pocket."

Isabelle did so, and slid the whip in the pocket. The jacket fit, but was a little short in the sleeves.

Clary stepped back through the hole and pulled out her stele. "Izzy. Be careful." She said as she drew a rune and sealed the wall.

* * *

"Good boy," Alaina whispered as she stroked Wolfram's back. The dog's tail was whipping back and forth as he drank from a water hose Alaina was holding. She kept looking up, checking her surroundings. The dog lapped away, and then ran his whole body under the hose. He shook himself, spraying water everywhere including on Alaina. She made a noise of disgust and shut the water off.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Wolfram sat down and pulled his lips back. It looked as though he was smiling. Alaina glanced up at the sky. It wasn't raining anymore, but the storm clouds were still racing across the sky.

"Let's get back inside."

* * *

Isabelle walked down the tunnel like hallways as quietly and as calmly as she could. She tried looking in each room without looking suspicious. The rooms were all set up in a similar fashion; a bed, a light, and other various objects. One room had anime posters on the walls that Isabelle recognized because Clary had similar ones in her room at the Institute. Another room had several blades hanging from the walls. Not seraph blades, but daggers and longswords, katanas and throwing knives.

"Hey!"

Isabelle's breath caught but she turned around casually. A boy came running up to her, his blonde hair long enough to be pulled into a pony tail.

"Have you seen Christian? He's supposed to be scouting tonight." The boy huffed.

Isabelle swallowed. "No, I haven't seen him." She said, hoping the boy would leave it at that.

"If you see him," he growled, "Tell him I'm gonna kill him." He said stalking off down the hall.

Isabelle felt her lungs empty themselves and she willed her heart to slow down. She watched the boy's retreating back until he turned down the hallway.

She moved on to the next room. A guitar hung from the wall. She stood in the doorway for a while, the guitar seeming familiar. Almost instantly, Simon's voice came in her head.

"_It's a Les Paul, Izzy. It's the king of all guitars. Look at it! It's perfect."_

"It doesn't look very special to me." Isabelle muttered, moving on to the next room. The only thing different about it was that there were two beds instead of one. On one side of the room, band posters covered the walls. She even saw a Halestorm poster. On the other side, the walls were bare.

"Are you looking for me?"

Isabelle's stomach dropped. She schooled her face into one of indifference and turned only her head.

"No, I was just walking." She said breezily. "Lost in my thoughts."

The boy in front of her looked exactly the same as the boy who had just walked down the hall, but his long hair wasn't in a ponytail. It hung freely about his shoulders. _'That would explain why this room has two beds.' _She thought.

"Oh?" The boy said, his silky voice sending shivers up Isabelle's spine. They weren't good shivers either. Everything about this boy screamed predator, and she felt the same sense of danger that she did whenever she had been in the room with Clary's demented brother.

"Yes," Isabelle said, smiling as sweetly as she could. "I'll get out of your way."

"What's the rush?" he said, "Why don't we talk?"

Isabelle's eyes narrowed. "Talk about what?"

The boy smiled. It was the kind of smile one had when they knew something, the kind of smile that Isabelle did not want to see, especially on the face of this boy. "Not a very wise choice on your part." He smirked.

"What?" Isabelle replied, her dark eyes staring into the boys bright cerulean coloured ones.

His smirk deepened, his teeth showing through his lips. "Has no one told you how much you look like your mother, Isabelle Lightwood?"

* * *

A/N: Oh my! Found out so quickly? What is she gonna do?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Chapter Five!**

**Disclaimer: Clary and the gang belong to Cassandra Clare.**

* * *

Clary walked up to the door to Magnus' apartment and knocked. She was soaked and shivering; having given her jacket to Isabelle and had nothing to protect her from the rain. She knocked again impatiently and Magnus flung the door open.

"Casa de Magnus is not open for business right now, please come back at a later time."

"M-magnus," Clary stuttered. "I'm f-freezing."

Magnus sighed dramatically and stepped aside for Clary to enter. She immediately stopped shivering; it was like walking into a wall of heat. Jace's arms were around her in an instant and she melted into his embrace.

"Clary, where the hell is your jacket?" he said, wiping her wet hair from her face.

"I gave it to Isabelle so she-"

Alec stood up. "Where _is _Isabelle?"

Jace let go of Clary and held on to her shoulders. "Is she hurt?"

"No," Clary shook her head. "She was fine when I left-"

"You _left_ her? Why did you leave her? Where is she?" Alec said, grabbing his shoes.

"Clary, what happened?" Jace asked.

Clary told them about the warehouse, the footsteps, the wall, and Isabelle's insistence that she stay behind. By the time that she reached the end of her story, Alec was all but pushing them out of the door.

"Alec, wait!" Magnus said, pulling Alec back. "We can't just go bursting in there. We could put Isabelle in serious danger!"

"She's already in danger!" Alec yelled.

Jace gripped Alec's shoulder. "We can't afford to put Isabelle in any _more_ danger." He said. "And you know just as well as I do that when Isabelle gets an idea in her head there's nothing we can do to stop her."

Alec stared at Jace, suddenly out of breath. "I-I know, I just…"

"We know Alec." Clary added. "After Max…"

The room was silent for a moment, as if in a silent ode to Max. The Lightwood family had never been the same after Max died, Maryse having an especially hard time coming to terms with losing her youngest child. And with her husband not around to help ease the pain, though Maryse didn't want him around anyway.

"We'll go get her. We just need to have a plan," Jace said softly.

* * *

Isabelle smiled, trying not to show her surprise. "Do I really look like her that much? I always thought I looked more like my dad." She replied coolly.

The boy smirked. "Oh no," he stepped forward. "You are the spitting image of Maryse."

Isabelle cocked her head to the side. "And you know what my mother looks like how?"

"Maryse and I have a bit of a history." He said. "Walk with me and I'll tell you all about it."

Isabelle took a step back. "No, I don't think I will." She reached for her electrum whip-

It wasn't in her pocket.

"Dude this thing is cool. Can I have it Vince?"

Isabelle whirled around. The pony-tailed boy from before, the twin, stood there holding her whip in his hands.

"How the-" Isabelle gawked, totally baffled. Only one person had ever gotten her whip away from her, and that was Jace when she had just started using it. And this boy had taken her whip without her even noticing it.

"Don't be foolish, Isabelle Lightwood. Don'tyou want to know why we've been slaying demons?" Vincent purred, his voice sending chills down Isabelle's spine. "Isn't that what you came here for?"

Isabelle turned back to Vincent and narrowed her eyes. "I'd like to know that, yes. But I don't appreciate you stealing my things."

"You broke into our home, didn't you? This makes us even." Vincent shrugged.

"Vincent. We're ready."

Isabelle inclined her head to see the person speaking. It seemed as though everyone was sneaking up on her.

It was a girl, about Jace's height with chocolate coloured hair and caramel coloured eyes. Strapped to her back was the guitar Isabelle saw earlier.

"Very good. Alaina, why don't you take Miss Lightwood here and head on through? I have some last minute business to attend to."

The girl, Alaina, nodded her head and walked up to Isabelle and gently grabbed her arm. "C'mon."

"No," Isabelle said jerking her arm away. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

Alaina grabbed Isabelle's arm again more forcefully and shoved her to her knees.

"I was so hoping that it wouldn't come to this." Vincent sighed. "Though I should have known. You are every bit as stubborn as Maryse."

Isabelle glared up at him as Alaina held her down, surprised at the strength the girl possessed. The last thing she saw was Vincent's cold blue eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry that this one is short, but if I didn't end it here, it would have been ridiculously long. I'm aware that Alec is OOC, but that's okay. This is Isabelle's story xD Anyway, As a reminder, this story WILL be femslash. So if you don't want Isabelle with a girl, stop reading. I'll probably be changing the rating in a few chapters as well. Also, Simon shows up next chapter! So review! I'll try to have chapter six up in the next few days, but knowing me, it'll be up tomorrow.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Chapter Six!**

**Disclaimer: Clary and the gang belong to Cassandra Clare. Alaina and the gang belong to me.**

* * *

Simon glanced up at the sky and clutched his bag in his hand as he walked down the sidewalk. He had gotten up early to go to Taki's and get some fresh blood since it had been a few days since he had last fed, and the hunger was pulling at him in the most uncomfortable way.

He had barely gotten a block away from Taki's when his phone vibrated. He answerd on the first ring.

"Yellow?"

"You answer the phone with colours now?"

Simon smiled. "You're up early, Clary."

Clary laughed nervously on the other end. "Yeah, well. I haven't been sleeping much actually."

He furrowed his brow as he crossed the street. "Is something wrong? You sound terrible."

"Dude. Not the way to sweet talk a lady." She scoffed. "But yes. I need your help. And Maia too. Do you think you two could meet us at Taki's?"

Simon sighed and turned around. "Yeah sure. I'm actually around the corner. Maia may not be up yet though."

"That's okay, just get here when you can." Clary said, her voice sounding muffled. Simon heard a male voice, probably Jace. "Coffee please." He heard her say before they hung up.

Simon darted across the street without looking, his vampire senses enough to get him across without harm. He dialed Maia. She didn't answer the first set of rings, or the second set, but she eventually picked up.

"Simon, sweetie, you better have a damn good reason for waking me up." Maia growled, her voice thick with sleep.

"I'm sorry. But, uh, do you think you could run up to Taki's? It's kind of important." Simon said, crossing another street about three buildings away from Taki's. He saw Alec standing outside on his cell phone.

"What the hell for? What's so important?" Maia said shuffling around.

"I don't know. I just got a call from Clary though. She seems distraught." Simon said waving to catch Alec's attention.

"Look at you, using big words." Maia chuckled. "Know any more?"

"Sure I do. A personal favourite of mine is Supercalifr-"

"Oh shut up. I'll be there in ten minutes. I love you."

Maia hung up before he could respond and Simon put his phone back in his pocket. He reached into his bag and pulled out one of his blood vials, downing it in a few swallows. He stuck the other vial in his pocket and walked up to Alec.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Alec slammed his phone shut in frustration. "Where's Maia?"

"Well, nice to see you too." Simon smiled. "Maia will be here soon. In the meantime, you'll have to make do with me."

Alec looked down at his phone. "Sorry. It's just with Izzy gone, I don't-"

"What do you mean _gone_!" Simon cut in, eyes wide.

It was then that Simon actually _looked_ at Alec. His eyes were red, there were bags under his eyes, his hair was messier than usual. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, and if something had happened to Isabelle, he probably hadn't.

Alec looked at Simon, then behind him. "There's Maia. Let's go inside."

Simon sat in the middle of Maia and Alec, Clary sat next to Jace across from them. "So," he began. "Where's Izzy?"

"We don't know." Clary answered. She gave Simon and Maia a detailed description of what had happened in the warehouse, what had happened when they went back, and what had happened since then. "That was three days ago," She finished. "We haven't heard anything from her, and they were gone when we got there."

"Well, not everyone." Jace added dryly.

Simon looked at Clary quizzically.

"There was still one person there when we arrived." Clary explained. "It was as if he was waiting for us."

"Beat the crap out of Jace too." Alec added.

"So that's why he looks so pissy." Maia laughed. "So, what can I do? To help, I mean." She added seriously.

Alec folded his hands and rested his head on them. "Magnus is already trying a tracking spell. But Werewolves are natural hunters. So, Maia, if you could help us track her down…"

"You're not using my girlfriend as a hunting dog!" Simon said.

"Shut up Simon," Maia shushed him. "It's no big deal. I'll do it." She said to Alec.

Alec looked at Simon, who shrugged in defeat. "Okay. This is the plan."

* * *

When Isabelle regained her consciousness, she bolted upright with a gasp. For a second, she thought she was back in her room at the Institute, but the walls were white. Her head screamed in pain and she lay back down slowly. She stared at the ceiling until her head stopped throbbing, before slowly getting up. The bed was extremely soft and the sheets were obviously very expensive. She hissed as her bare feet touched the cold floor.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she tiptoed around the room, shivering. She wore a tank top and shorts that were not hers, and she felt very exposed. There were no windows in the room, it seemed as though the walls were radiating light, and there were three doors in the room. She walked over to the nearest door.

It was a bathroom, and probably the biggest bathroom Isabelle had ever been in. There was a normal looking toilet, a tub about the size of a Jacuzzi and a fairly large Rain shower on one side. On the other side, near the double sink, was a chair and ottoman combo sitting across from a _fireplace._ Everything was also white.

Isabelle closed the bathroom door and opened the next closest door: a closet. There was nothing special about it, there were clothes and shoes, Shadowhunter gear, and seraph blades and daggers that were locked in a rune-sealed case.

She closed the door and opened the third. She was met with a hall way and the sound of laughing, the smell of food made her stomach growl. She was apparently on the second floor. She peered over the balcony.

Directly below her were three people, none of which she'd seen before, and one she had; down in the warehouse tunnels. The girl with the white guitar, Alaina.

"So, we get to play at The Hard Rock?" Alaina said.

"Yeah man, my uncle got us a gig. It's gonna be pretty stellar." Another girl answered, flicking her red hair over her shoulder. "In two months. There's even gonna be a label scout there!"

"No fucking way!" The guy sitting next to the redhead shouted. "You mean we're gonna be signed?"

Another guy, with purple hair and a British accent, twirled a drumstick in his hand. "Only if you don't screw us up, you wanker."

Alaina laughed and said something to the redheaded girl that Isabelle couldn't hear.

"I think your girlfriend is awake."

Isabelle froze as Alaina glanced behind her and they locked eyes. "She's not my girlfriend," Alaina said with a hint of amusement. "But I think it'd be better if we were alone. I'll see you guys later." She said, getting up and heading towards the stairs. "Just let yourselves out."

A sudden wave of terror passed over Isabelle and she ran back into the room she came out of. She slammed the door. The sound of Alaina's footsteps echoing in the hallway made Isabelle panic uncharacteristically.

'_What the hell is wrong with me? I'm not afraid of this chick.'_

The door opened and Alaina stepped inside. "Miss Lightwood. How are you feeling?"

'_Miss Lightwood? What the hell is she playing at?'_

"I, uh, washed your clothes for you. I don't have any clothes that you can wear; you're a bit... fuller than I am." Alaina grinned as her eyes roamed over Isabelle's barely covered body.

Isabelle quickly covered herself with her arms. "What do you want?"

"Right now?" Alaina replied. "I want you to put your clothes on. Unless you'd rather keep that on. I certainly wouldn't mind."

Isabelle made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat and snatched her clothes from Alaina.

"Ooh, feisty. I'll get you something to eat." The chocolate haired girl chuckled, exiting the room.

Isabelle huffed and changed clothes as quickly as possible. Alaina opened the door just as Isabelle pulled her shirt over her head.

"Room service," she sang. "Have a sandwich."

Isabelle looked at Alaina incredulously. "What is wrong with you?"

"There's nothing wrong with me!" Alaina laughed. "I'm sorry. Why don't you come downstairs? We can talk."

"Talk?" Isabelle echoed. "Sure, I'd like to talk. Who are you? Where are we?"

"Yeah, you skipped a step. We're going downstairs to talk."

Isabelle folded her arms in defiance. "Or you could answer me now."

Alaina shrugged. "I'm Alaina. We're in my house. Now come downstairs." She finished.

Isabelle stared at Alaina for a moment before following the girl downstairs.

* * *

**A/N: Okay! Clary and the gang are coming up with a plan to help Isabelle, who is being held captive. Or is she? Rating is officially being changed, due to potty mouths and other things in the future. So, next chapter coming up probably Friday or Saturday. Happy 4****th****! Don't blow yourselves up!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Chapter Seven! It's late, I know. I'm sorry, lot's came up and I didn't get a chance to write. Hopefully now that things have settled down, I'll be able to write more. But anyway, here's what I got!**

**Disclaimer: Clary and the gang belong to Cassandra Clare.**

* * *

Isabelle followed Alaina down a spiraling staircase while taking the time to examine the house. There were still no windows, that she could see, and the walls gave off the same white light that they did upstairs. Various guitars hung along the wall as well, all white.

"What is your obsession with the colour white?" Isabelle asked.

Alaina glanced over her shoulder at Isabelle, but didn't answer. Instead, when they reached the bottom of the staircase, she grabbed one of the guitars off the walls. The area before them was very open; a piano (white, of course) sat in the far corner of the room and Isabelle could see a refrigerator through the archway across from it.

To her left, was the living room where the three other people that were there earlier sat. Three couches; two facing each other, the other facing the wall where a ridiculously large TV hung. Alaina walked over to one of the couches and sat down, the guitar in her lap. She motioned for Isabelle to sit next to her.

Isabelle scoffed and sat on the other couch across from her, a coffee table separating them.

"Oh come on. You're not afraid of me, are you Miss Lightwood?" Alaina grinned.

Isabelle folded her arms and kicked her feet up on the coffee table, but put them down when Alaina shot her a furious look. "Isabelle." She said simply.

"That's your first name, I know." Alaina shrugged. "Would you rather I call you Isabelle?"

Isabelle thought for a bit. Izzy was too familiar, and Miss Lightwood was so… formal. "Yes, Isabelle."

Alaina smirked. "Well then. You're not afraid of me, are you _Isabelle_?"

"Absolutely not."

"Good. Well, until Vincent gets here, I suppose you can make yourself at home." Alaina waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Just don't go in my room."

She stood and walked over to a large speaker, an amp, and plugged her guitar into it. She started playing, obviously dismissing Isabelle, and Isabelle knew that she wouldn't be talking to her anymore, so she began looking around the house.

After searching the lower level completely, she noticed three things. There were no windows, no doors that led outside, and no way for her to know what time or day it was. The stove and microwave displays showed completely different times, and the clock on the wall didn't even work.

Isabelle grabbed a sandwich from a plate sitting on the counter. It was peanut butter and jelly, and although nothing seemed wrong with the sandwich, she put it back down. Her stomach growled in protest, and she snatched the sandwich back up and took a bite. It tasted like regular peanut butter and jelly. Strawberry jelly. Her favourite kind.

She walked back into the living room, still holding her sandwich.

Alaina had switched from playing her guitar to playing the piano. She was humming, seemingly not noticing Isabelle's presence. Isabelle watched her for a moment before shrugging and walking back upstairs. She needed some clue as to where she was, and she'd search the entire house if she needed too.

* * *

They were walking through a heavily wooded area, their footsteps nonexistent due to a Silence rune. In his peripheral vision, Vayne watched as Vincent rubbed his fingertips on his wrist, absentmindedly scratching at the tattoo on his skin. Vince had once told him that his skin itched in excitement, something that he never understood. Storm clouds raced across the sky and thunder rumbled in the distance. Vayne could taste the electricity in the air.

"You're gonna rub it off," Vayne joked, his voice sounding extremely loud in the previous silence. His brother glanced at him, his long hair blowing loosely in the breeze.

"I couldn't remove it, even if I wanted to. You know that." Vince muttered.

Vayne glanced down at the identical tattoo on his wrist, the same tattoo that everyone one else that had trained under his father wore. It was a barcode, each one different, and each one unique.

"Do you think she'll come?" Vayne asked.

"Who?" Vincent picked at his skin.

Vayne climbed over a felled tree and looked at his brother. "His daughter. Clarissa. Do you think she'll come?"

The two walked for a moment in silence before Vince answered. "I hope so. I hope Herondale shows up as well." He said, a smile pulling at his lips. "Of course, if she shows up, he will too. And I have a feeling Clarissa will come anyway. She feels guilty."

"Guilty for what?"

Vince ran his fingers through his hair, the humidity making the ends curl slightly. "If she hadn't left Isabelle in the tunnels back in New York, she wouldn't be here with us now. And of course, they have no idea where we are yet."

The trees were growing thicker signaling that they were approaching their destination. At one point, the trees grew so thick that what little sunlight shone through the storm clouds was blocked by the canopy. It only took a few more minutes before they approached a massive house.

"Holy shit, it's huge." Vayne gaped, his eyes trying to take in the very expensive, and obviously well kept grounds. He could hear a fountain, but didn't see one, and the pathway that they walked on were lined with white Burnet Roses.

"You should see the front," Vincent smirked. "We're using this entrance though, not the front." They walked to the end of the path where the house was. A metal door connected to a small black box on the wall. Vincent held up his arm, the tattooed arm, and placed his wrist on the box. It lit up and beeped, Vincent's name, picture, and the number tattooed under his barcode flashed across the screen. The door unlocked with a soft click and Vincent pulled it open. He walked in, and Vayne followed him inside pulling the door shut with an echoing thud.

Lights flicked on as they walked down the hallway that opened up before them, and soon they reached another metal door. Vincent pressed his wrist to the box again and it unlocked, allowing the two to enter.

Inside the house now, the brothers took off their shoes (by force of habit, and the fact that everything in the house was freakin' white).

Vayne heard the sound of a piano being played, as well as the melodious sound of a voice he knew belonged to Alaina. He poked his head around the corner and saw her; eyes closed, brow furrowed in concentration, fingering the keys with such tenderness that she looked as though she were caressing them. The notes rang out from the keys rising in crescendo and before stopping quickly then picking up again. Her voice joined in perfect harmony and Vayne couldn't help but watch as she sang without care, without worry. His heart thudded in his chest; it was the most perfect sight he'd ever-

"Alaina."

Both Vayne and Alaina jumped. Alaina stood suddenly, her eyes widened, and Vayne saw her face tint with red.

"H-hey guys." She stammered, her eyes darting between the two boys. "You're early."

Vayne busied himself with staring at his feet, he could feel his ears burning, and he was almost certain that Alaina was glaring at him.

"Where is Miss Lightwood?" Vincent asked, either completely oblivious or completely uncaring. Vayne noticed him picking at his wrist again.

Alaina stepped over her piano bench. "Oh, she's sulking upstairs. I'll-"

"No." Vincent cut in. "I would like to speak to her alone."

Vayne glanced at his Vincent, something about the look in his brother's eyes bothering him. "Vince…" he warned.

The look that his brother gave him made all thoughts flee his head leaving him with a hollow feeling. He knew not to challenge his brother, but he also knew that his father would kill them both if he killed the Lightwood girl.

"Vincent," Alaina stepped in, "If you hurt her, we're all dead." She said, echoing Vayne's thoughts. "We need her unharmed."

Vayne stood awkwardly as the two stared each other down, his skin prickling. His father's voice echoed in his head.

"_If you harm the girl in any way, we'll be at a disadvantage. As long as she remains unharmed, I can get what I want. We can get what we want. If harm comes to the child, the Clave will be at our throats, and all will be for naught. Can I count on you, my children?"_

_Yes father, of course you can._ Vayne thought. He set his jaw and stood his ground. "We'll all go speak with Miss Lightwood, together. No one will harm her." He said, half to his brother, half to himself.

Vincent looked at him with a blank look, his blue eyes seemingly looking through him. "Fine, we'll go your way, brother."

Vayne exhaled the breath he didn't realize he was holding and nodded to Alaina. She stared at him for a moment before smiling slightly and inclining her head to the doorway. The two followed her out into the main room and up the staircase, Vayne's ears burning the entire time.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Chapter Eight! Firstly, I just wanna say thanks to everyone who has favourited or alerted this story. I love that quite a few people are taking an interest in this, but I'd love it even more if you'd review (:**

**Speaking of reviews, ****BookLoverTillTheEndXxXx has left a review at the end of the last few chapters, and I would like to take the time to say thank you. So, THANK YOU! You get a virtual hug. *hug*For everyone else that has reviewed, thank you as well. Virtual high-five's for everyone! Okay! On with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, blah blah blah, Cassandra Clare we love you (:**

* * *

Clary followed Alec with tired eyes. Her head hurt, she was frustrated, and sore. They had no idea where Isabelle was, and to make matters worse, Maryse and Jocelyn were coming back from Alicante soon and Alec was definitely freaking out.

She tried calming him both with words and a rune, to no avail. Jace had tried telling him that he was worried for nothing, and Alec had snapped at him. Even Magnus couldn't calm the boy down. And they still had no idea where Isabelle and the rogue Shadowhunters were.

Alec continued to pace the room, and Clary racked her brain for any way she could calm him. "Alec…" she started.

He turned to her, his eyes rimmed with purple where he hadn't been sleeping. His dark blue shirt was hanging off of him and the edges of his sleeves were frayed from him constantly pulling on them. "What?"

She glanced at Jace who stood looking out of the window at the storm that had returned. They were back at the Institute, Simon and Maia were out trying to find a trail, and Magnus was back at his apartment trying to come up with a way to find out where the Shadowhunters had gone and taken Isabelle. When they had gone through and searched the entire tunnel system, the found 22 rooms that had obviously been used. So, how the hell do 22 Shadowhunters just up and vanish? Her head began to hurt worse.

"Alec, there's no sense in worrying yourself over it. If we find out something, you don't want to be tired out. You want to be at full strength, right?" She offered, trying to give a reassuring smile.

Alec stared at her for a moment, before sitting down and putting his face in his hands. "That's not why I'You don't know my mother very well."

"What do you mean?"

"If you knew her as well as we do, you'd be worried too." Jace said from his position at the window, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Of course, you have to deal with your own mother, so I guess you can imagine."

Clary furrowed her brow. _Imagine what?_ She thought, and was about to ask when Alec's phone rang from its place on the table. He reached over and answered without looking.

His head snapped up and he darted over to a desk in the room. He began scribbling on a piece of paper, and Clary and Jace exchanged looks.

"Is that all?" She heard him say. "We'll bring it over as soon as… But why tomorrow? Oh, right of course. Of course I knew that!" He picked up the paper he wrote on, and walked back over to the chair he was sitting in. "Alright, I love you too. Bye."

Jace turned from his position at the window and folded his arms, his trademark smirk plastered on his face. "Booty call?"

Alec made a face. "No! He has something that could help find Isabelle."

"Because a tracking spell obviously isn't an option." Jace snorted.

"Well no," Clary told Jace. "Because the Warlock they have is giving them some way to cloak themselves."

"But since Magnus is the High Warlock, he would know of a way to get around it." Alec said, and for the first time since they had told him that Izzy was gone, he had life in his eyes.

"Sounds good to me," Jace shrugged. "What do we need to get for him?"

Alec looked over the paper in his hands. "Well, we're going to need a lot of candles. And some-"

"What are you three doing in here?"

Clary stood up suddenly, her stomach dropping. Alec whipped around, and Jace snapped his head up. Standing in the doorway, still clad in their Shadowhunter gear, were Jocelyn Fairchild and Maryse Lightwood.

* * *

Isabelle lay on the bed staring up at the ceiling. She had searched every room upstairs and had found nothing, with the exception of one room that she assumed it belonged to Alaina because it was locked. She sighed and closed her eyes, her long legs stretching out on the bed. She had just started to doze, the quiet hum of the air conditioning lulling her into a drowsy state, when the door opened.

She jerked herself upright.

"Were you sleeping, Miss Lightwood?" a smooth, silky voice purred.

Isabelle felt as though someone had drained all of her blood and replaced it with ice; a sinister shiver slid down her spine. Dark blonde hair and light blue eyes. Instinctively, she reached for her whip, but of course it wasn't there.

"All I want is to talk. My name is Vincent Bouvier." He said, the smoothness of his voice both unsettling and mollifying. "You do look so much like dear Maryse." He added, a strange look in his eyes.

Isabelle glared at him. She noticed Vayne standing awkwardly next to his brother looking exactly the same, yet she didn't feel the same sense of danger from him as she did from Vincent. And Alaina, lounging in a chair on the other side of the room, definitely didn't give of the dangerous feeling.

"How do you know my mother?" she asked. "Surely a low life, rule breaking brat such as yourself wouldn't be graced by her presence." She finished, smirking.

Something flashed behind Vincent's eyes and his smile faltered just a bit. Isabelle felt fire flooding her veins, melting the ice and giving back her bite. _I'm not afraid of this guy._ She thought to herself.

"If you must know," he said, his smile returning. "Your mother called upon me to train your brother when he was younger."

Isabelle furrowed her brow. "That's a lie. Our father-"

"Your father couldn't train his son, because he was always away. I needn't tell you _what_ he was doing, do I?" Vincent sneered.

Isabelle's stomach dropped, but she refused to show her discomfort. "When he was away, Hodge-"

"Hodge Starkweather?" Vincent laughed. "Please, that man couldn't train an infant to drink from as bottle. My brother and I trained Alexander Lightwood." He said irritably, signaling that he was growing tired of the current conversation. "And we would have trained you as well, had Jonathan not showed up."

"You mean Jace." Isabelle snapped. "His name is Jace."

"Whatever." Vincent said waving his hand dismissively. "I'm not here to tell you stories, Miss Lightwood. All I ask is your cooperation."

"No."

"You don't even know what were asking!" Alaina said from her position in the corner.

Isabelle looked at her, then back at Vincent. "No. I won't cooperate, I won't help you, I won't do anything. So you can kiss my ass, Vincent Bouvier." She said, making sure to say his name in the same calculated way that he always said hers.

Vincent eyed her for a moment before giving her a smile that sent the ice rushing though her veins again. He stepped closer to her. "Very well. I was so hoping that you would cooperate, but I see that you are just as stubborn as Maryse."

Isabelle fixed him with a steely glare, and for a moment they just stared at each other.

"Maybe I shall tell you a story, Miss Lightwood."

"I've never been fond of stories. I've always preferred to watch the movies." Isabelle quipped, and Alaina scoffed in the background.

To her surprise, and discomfort, Vincent chuckled. "Well. Maybe this will help. Vayne," he turned to his brother. "Would you remove your shirt please?"

Isabelle watched as Vayne lifted his shirt and she gasped. Along his torso were deep wounds, dark and purple. They were scabbed over, but not healed. He turned around and Isabelle winced. More wounds, layered on top of each other, and lined up in a pattern suggesting that they were the result of a whip. They ranged from small ones near his neck and shoulders, to the deepest ones on the base of his back and down to the small of his back. Some even disappeared below the line of his pants.

He slid his shirt back on and turned back around, his eyes directed at the floor.

"Would you like to hear the story now, Miss Lightwood?" Vincent said coldly, and Isabelle turned her attention back at him.

Isabelle swallowed, suddenly feeling nauseous; the wounds on Vayne's body something she'd never seen before. She looked at Vincent, his blue eyes seeming darker.

"Do you know where those marks came from?" Vincent asked in a low voice. Isabelle set her jaw and shook her head. Vincent gave her a frightening look, and leaned down until he could whisper in her ear. His cool breath made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and she shivered. "They came from Maryse Lightwood."

* * *

**A/N: Oooh I smell a back story ;) Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Chapter Nine!**

**Guys, I have Isabelle tied up in my closet right now. I'm fighting Cassandra Clare in a hardcore sword fight over her as I type. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter! :D**

**Disclaimer: If I owned the series, would I be fighting to the death with Cassandra Clare? Doy.**

* * *

Alec, Jace and Clary all stared with wide eyes at the two women in the door. Maryse and Jocelyn looked at each other for a second before looking back at the trio.

"What did you do?" Jocelyn asked in a measured tone. "Why do you all look so guilty?"

Clary was the first to speak. "Guys, how did the trip go?"

Maryse narrowed her eyes, ignoring the question. "Alexander," She said, staring right at Alec. "What's going on?"

Alec swallowed, his stomach twisting painfully. He hated lying to his mother, but he didn't really want to tell her what had happened. But then again, she'd find out anyway and if she found out that he lied to her…

"Isabelle is missing." Alec blurted out.

"Just get straight to it, why don't you." Jace sighed.

Maryse's eyes widened. "What?" She was standing in front of Alec in a heartbeat, grabbing his shoulders in a fierce grip. "What happened?" she all but yelled.

"Clary, why didn't you say something?" Jocelyn asked. "We would've come back soon-"

"FOUR DAYS?" Maryse hollered. "Alexander, why on earth didn't you say something? We need to go and get her. Now."

"We don't even know where she is," Clary said desperately as Maryse went charging out into the hallway. She looked at her mother who was trying to calm down Maryse long enough to keep her from running blindly out into the city.

"It's those Shadowhunters. The ones you told us to go scout at the warehouse." Alec said.

"Then she's at a warehouse?" Jocelyn asked, finally getting Maryse to sit down.

"She wouldn't be missing if we knew where she was," Jace said sarcastically. Jocelyn shot him a look and turned back to Alec.

"Then where is she?"

"Has the definition of _missing_ changed recently? Missing: Not able to be found because it is not in its expected place. Or otherwise, not-"

"Jace, shut up." Clary snapped. "We don't know where she is," she said, to her mother. "We've searched half of this side of the city so far-"

"They wouldn't keep her here," Maryse said from her seat near the door. "In New York, I mean."

Everyone turned to look at her. "If they took her with them when they cleared out, then I'd be surprised if they're still in the States."

"Where would they have gone too?" Clary asked, her brows furrowed.

"Another Institute?" Alec suggested.

"No," Jace started, Clary shooting him a warning look. "I think if they were so insistent in breaking school rules, they probably wouldn't be staying in a Clave-run facility."

There was silence, each person lost in thought, until suddenly Alec's phone chimed.

"Magnus? Yeah sure, we'll be right over." He snapped his phone shut, and turned to his mother.

"We need to take every single summoning candle we have and head over to Magnus'."

"Did he find something?" Clary asked, hopefully.

"No, but he thinks there is someone we could get to help us. A demon."

"Absolutely not!" Jocelyn stepped forward. "A demon helping us? That's absurd!"

Jocelyn stepped forward, her hand lightly touching Jocelyn's shoulder. "If it will help us find Isabelle, we haven't really got a choice."

* * *

Isabelle shoved Vincent away from her and stared at him in disbelief. "You're lying. You're a filthy liar, and if you think that for a minute that your pathetic little story is-"

"Tell me then, dear Isabelle Lightwood. Where did my brother get his scars? Where did I get mine and Miss Rainier hers?"

Isabelle glanced at Vayne, who was still staring at the floor, and Alaina, who was still lounging in the chair; her head resting on her fist. Caramel coloured eyes stared back at her and a sad smile formed on her face.

"Well, I'm not taking off my shirt, if that's what you're waiting for."

Isabelle made the disgusted/ annoyed sound in the back of her throat that she saved especially for Alaina and her comments.

"My mother," she said turning back to Vincent, "did nothing to you, your brother, or Alaina. So don't even say that. "

"Don't be so sure you know your mother so well." Vincent smirked. "I could tell you things about your mother that would make you sick to your stomach."

Isabelle's heart thudded in her chest. "Like what?" she asked, feigning nonchalance.

"Before your mother ever met your father, she was in love with my father."

This did make Isabelle feel a little sick, but she highly doubted that her mother could love someone that fathered the sadistic freak standing before her.

"You're going to have to do better than that." She snorted.

Vincent's lip seemed to be stuck in a permanent smirk, because as he spoke it was still there. "Well, shall I tell you my story?"

Isabelle stared at him for a moment, glanced at Alaina who seemed preoccupied with pulling at a string on her pants, then shrugged. "Sure, why not."

She didn't know why she always felt the need to look at Alaina. Maybe because she had been around only her for the past few days, and she felt comfortable around her. Or maybe it was the fact that Vincent absolutely screamed danger, and as long as Alaina was in the room she knew she would be somewhat safe.

Vincent eyed her for a moment, before he began speaking.

"Marcellus Bouvier and Valentine Morgenstern. Two of the most powerful and prominent Shadowhunters since Jonathan Shadowhunter himself. The former is mine and my brother's father. The latter, well you know who he is."

"You know all about Valentine's Circle, correct? You know your mother was a part of it as well, of course. She was a very essential Shadowhunter in most of Valentine's plans, so much so that he trusted her to be in his most elite group within the circle. The Core."

"The Core?" Isabelle echoed, "That sounds incredibly lame."

Vincent raised an eyebrow at Isabelle, but continued.

"The Core consisted of Underground Operations, very high profile stuff. His own Wife wasn't even aware of it."

"You're saying that my mom was closer to Valentine than his own wife?" Isabelle scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"Jocelyn Morgenstern was not loyal to Valentine, as you can see." Vincent answered dismissively. "Valentine saw Maryse as more loyal, simply because of her relationship with my father. He trusts my father with his life, and vice versa. She proved her worth many times."

Isabelle crossed her arms. "How?"

Vincent waved dismissively. "That's not important." he said. "When my brother and I were receiving our first Marks, my father told us of Valentine's plans and our importance in them. He told us of the woman who betrayed him, when all he did was for her. Ask her about it one day. I bet she regrets leaving my father for that bastard Lightwood."

Isabelle's nostrils flared, but she couldn't make herself stay mad. She was still furious with her father for what he had done.

"He told us," Vincent continued. "about your brother. That we would be there to train him when he received his Marks. Of course, I refused. I wanted nothing to do with the woman. But we were persuaded."

Vincent rolled his eyes, a surprisingly human thing to do. Even though Isabelle knew he was human, it made more sense to think of him as a monster like Clary's brother.

"Then you were born, but by that time, our families had begun to...distance themselves. Valentine was forced to hide, taking his most loyal followers with him. Yadda yadda important stuff, here you are today."

Isabelle shook her head. "But you didn't tell me how you got those...those..." She couldn't say it. They were more than scars, but no word could capture them.

"Oh, I had forgotten." Vincent smirked. "You see, when we were born, our father trained us. When Maryse was still around, she would help with the training as well."

_'Stand straight, Vincent. You'll never keep a sword in your grip if you stand like that.'_

_'Vayne, you'll be knocked straight on your ass if you don't hold your ground.'_

_'Alaina, you stupid child. The sword will break if you drop it again.'_

"And each time something went wrong, we were given a _reminder_ not to do it again. You should see Alaina's, hers are the worst."

"Again, not taking my shirt off." Alaina said. "Maryse never liked me. When she finds out I have you hear she'll surely try and kill me."

" If you've ever seen a lioness fight, that would give you an idea of what happened when Alaina's mother found out. She used Demon Metal. These marks will never heal."

Isabelle shook her head. "That doesn't sound like my mother." she whispered.

"Well, why don't you ask her when next you see her?" Vincent sneered. "See what she has to say."

Isabelle stood up suddenly. "I will." She said, glaring. Her stomach felt twisted from Vincent's story, but she showed no sign of discomfort.

Vayne was the first to leave, his hands buried into the pockets of his pants. Vincent stayed for a moment longer before heading towards the door. "I hope to speak with you again soon, Miss Lightwood." he said offering one last smirk.

"Yeah, don't hold your breath kid." she spat back.

"I am not a 'kid' Isabelle Lightwood. I'm nearly 24; I think I've earned the right to not be spoken to as a child. Especially from someone who is a child herself."

Isabelle's mouth hung open slightly. She couldn't believe that the boy was older than Alec! He looked so young, he and his brother.

Vincent left afterwards, which left only Alaina lounging in the chair. She stood too and walked up to Isabelle.

"If you promise to be good, I'll take you shopping tomorrow." she said disinterestedly.

"What?" Isabelle asked in disbelief.

"You heard me. You need clothes."

Isabelle glanced down at herself and shrugged. "Okay."

_'Whatever. I could make a run or, at least, find out where the hell I am'. _

Alaina grinned and winked at her, before walking out of the door with a smile.

Isabelle plopped herself down on her bed. She stretched out and was asleep in minutes.

* * *

**A/N: Still fighting Cassandra Clare, So I better make this quick. Oh crap, she found me! arsrattsytfdguyfh**

***Connection Terminated***


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: *Connection re-established***

**Hi guys! *limps in covered in bandages* I managed to escape the wrath of Cassandra Clare (For now). And look! I still have Isabelle! :] Say hi Isabelle.**

**Isabelle: Don't talk to me, you psycho.**

**Awh, that's not nice Izzy…**

**Alaina: Can you just write the chapter? Isabelle and I need to go shopping.**

**Fine, fine. On with Chapter Ten! :)**

* * *

Isabelle felt herself just below the surface of consciousness and she knew she would be waking up soon. A somehow familiar feeling scratched at her chest and she struggled to wake herself up to see what it was. She felt strange, dreamy and…wrong.

Her eyes flew open and she bolted upright, a blur of white and brown sitting before her. She wiped at her eyes forcing herself to wake up. Alaina was perched on the bed, her stele in hand and a strange look on her face. Isabelle glanced down at her chest a rune she didn't recognize boldly displayed there.

"Sorry." Alaina said in a hushed voice, and Isabelle directed her vision back to her. Alaina was wearing white sweat pants and a plain white, long sleeved t-shirt. Her dark hair was messed up from sleep and it made her look like a psychiatric ward escapee.

"I had to make sure I got in here before you woke up. Do you want breakfast?" She said as calmly as though she didn't just do…whatever she just did.

_No I don't want breakfast; I want to punch you in your face for putting this rune on me. _"I like pancakes." She felt herself say, although she had no idea why she said it. She had actually wanted to do as she thought and punch Alaina in her jaw, but she felt no anger. She just felt calm and happy.

Alaina smiled and Isabelle couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was, her smile brightening her whole face. She felt herself smiling back.

"Pancakes it is."

Isabelle glided into the bathroom and attended to her personal needs and showered, the Rain shower proving to be very relaxing. For a short time, she simply let the water run down her body before actually bathing herself and washing her hair. There had been a massive selection of soaps, gels, shampoos and conditioners in different fragrances and Isabelle had settled upon a lavender scented set. After finishing, she dried and redressed herself before exiting the room and heading for the stairs.

_What _is _this? I've never felt so weird before. What kind of rune did she put on me?_

Isabelle could smell the pancakes downstairs and had just stepped down the first step when something else caught her senses. She turned and stepped back up, heading down the hall in the opposite direction of the room she slept in.

"_The looking glass, so shiny and new. How quickly the glamour fades."_

Isabelle walked down the hall towards the last door in the hall, the door that had been locked when she last explored the house. Alaina's room. She could hear the sound of running water and the sound of Alaina's voice, the fuzziness in her brain pressing her forward.

"_I start spinning, slipping out of time. Was that the wrong pill to take?"_

Isabelle reached the door and twisted the handle. It opened and she stepped inside, Alaina's voice growing louder the closer Isabelle got.

"_You made a deal, and now it seems you have to offer up. But will it ever be enough? It's not enough."_

Alaina's room was a shock to Isabelle, who had gotten used to the all-white interior of the house. There was colour; pale green walls, rich green light fixtures, pale green sheets and pillows on the bed, a pale green couch, a green rug that resembled grass. It was almost too much, but with certain things placed about the room- a black chair, black electronic equipment, the brown hardwood floor, a black acoustic guitar in the corner of the room and a white electric guitar hanging from the wall.- everything seemed to balance out. It was a very calming atmosphere.

"_Here I am; a rabbit hearted girl frozen in the headlights. It seems I've made the final sacrifice."_

Isabelle looked around the room for a moment, running her hand across the spread on Alaina's bed. A huge flat screen hung from the wall opposite the bed, and a laptop sat on top of a desk on the side.

"_We raise it up, this offering. We raise it up."_

Isabelle turned her head to the bathroom as she heard the shower being turned out. She stood there just staring at the door, the fuzzy feeling coursing through her veins. The door opened and Alaina walked out, a towel wrapped around her.

"_This is a gift, it comes with a price. Who is the lamb and who is the knife? Midas is king, and he holds me so tight, and turns me to- _oh!" Alaina's eyes widened and she gasped in surprise as the realized Isabelle was in the room.

"You startled me. By the Angel." She huffed. "Get out, I'm dressing!"

Isabelle cocked her head to the side at Alaina. "You were singing."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed my collection of musical instruments, I am musically inclined. That doesn't mean you can stand there like a creeper and watch me." She laughed. "I think that rune is a _little_ too strong."

Isabelle shook her head, and everything seemed slightly less fuzzy. She still felt the euphoric cloud-nine feeling, but she was definitely aware that she did _not _want to be in the room with a naked Alaina.

"I don't-" she started. "I have no idea what I'm doing." She muttered, turning to walk out of the room.

"I'll be out in a minute," Alaina called.

Isabelle stumbled down the steps trying to fight the fuzziness in her head, but by the time she sat down and started on her pancakes, the feeling had returned and she was smiling her bubble-headed smile again.

"I see you found the pancakes," Alaina said walking into the kitchen area, her wet hair pulled into a ponytail.

Isabelle smiled up at her. "They're really good."

Alaina arched an eyebrow, and grabbed a plate for herself. They ate quickly and in silence, and Alaina cleared the dishes. "Are you ready then?" She said to Isabelle as she opened up a closet.

Isabelle nodded, and then looked down. "Oh. No, wait. Shoes." She giggled, heading for the stairs.

"No, no." Alaina said leaning into the closet. Her shirt rode up, and Isabelle could very clearly see deep wounds on her skin. "What size shoe are you? I think these should fit." She pulled out a pair of dark brown boots.

"They're pretty!" Isabelle said excitedly, half under the influence of the rune and half of her own accord. She had a pair exactly like them back at the Institute that she wore during the winter. She slid them on.

Alaina handed her a dark coat as well, and pulled out a brown one for herself. She glanced between the two and decided to switch them.

Isabelle shrugged the coat on and stared at Alaina.

"Okay," she sighed. "That's getting really weird."

"What is?"

"You keep staring. Let's just go." They turned and headed out of the kitchen, and walked out into the foyer behind the piano, which Isabelle noted was not there before. She felt as though there was air rushing towards her, and soon she saw why: a portal.

Alaina pulled her hair out of its ponytail and turned to Isabelle. "You first."

Isabelle stepped through, the familiar stomach-dropping feeling as well as all the air being knocked out of her. When she exited, her feet hit the ground hard and she fell forward into tall grass. Alaina came afterwards, staggering for a few steps, but staying on her feet. She straightened and glanced around.

"Well, this isn't right. It's supposed to be snowing…" she muttered, shrugging off her coat.

Isabelle followed suit also looking around. She spotted a large building in the distance. "What's that over there?" She asked.

Alaina looked in the direction that Isabelle was indicating, and smiled. "I'll show you." She grinned. She motioned for Isabelle to follow and started jogging.

When they reached the building, Isabelle noticed it was a warehouse. Alaina walked up to it and held her hand up a small black box fixed to the wall near the door. The screen lit up and beeped twice and Isabelle stretched to see what was on the now lit screen, but Alaina ushered her inside the door.

"This is my garage," Alaina said with a dreamy expression.

Isabelle tried to take in the massive building she was in, much bigger than it looked outside. There had to be at least a hundred cars and at least a dozen motorcycles and dirt bikes.

Alaina ran her hand over the hood of one of the cars, a black sporty looking car, going half way through the garage before stopping and getting into one. The vehicle roared to life and Alaina drove it up to the large garage door. She got out and told Isabelle to get in as she walked over and pressed a button to raise the door. It opened just enough for the car to pass under, and the two got in.

Alaina pulled the car out and the door went down automatically. She revved up the engine and sped off.

* * *

A/N: Gonna have to leave it at that you guys. So here's the plan: my friend that reads this before you guys wants me to do a chapter in someone's 1st person POV. What do you guys think? Should I do a POV chapter? If so, who? Let me know in a review. Also, until I get the answers, I won't be able to start writing. Sooo get on it!


	11. Chapter 11

For two straight hours, Alaina drove. For two straight hours, we said nothing. For two straight hours, it was just me and my scrambled thoughts.

I'd gone through every song I'd ever heard, every book I'd ever read. I'd even re read the Codex to myself from what I'd committed to memory. Ask me anything from it. I can tell you everything down to the page number.

There are only so many things a girl can do when bored, and I was completely out.

"I'm bored." I pouted. Only, I hadn't meant to actually pout. I blame this stupid rune.

"Are you tired of singing to yourself?" Alaina replied.

I whipped my head around to glare at her. I wanted to smack that stupid smirk off of her face.

My hypothesis was that the rune relinquished all hold I had over my own actions. Now I know that it also keeps me from holding anything in. 99% of what I thought, came out. Which meant, that chances are I said that whole bit about smacking the smirk from her face out loud.

That would explain why she had such a sour face about her.

I smirked.

"I'm sorry, next time I'll keep my singing in the shower."

Her ears turned red.

"I'm sorry you're bored." she breathed. "I have music, I don't know if you'd like it."

I thought for a moment. "Sure."

She gripped the wheel with her left hand and reached across to get something from the glove compartment.

The scent of her soap and shampoo wafted into my nose and I held my breath, a strangely familiar feeling rising in my stomach.

She pulled the iPod out and hooked it up. Music immediately began playing, and I nearly grabbed the device from her hand.

It was that stupid "Somebody That I Used to Know" song.

"Anything but this song, please." I begged her.

She flashed a look in my direction before changing the song.

This was better, I decided. A strong female voice, with a bit of an accent, and captivating lyrics. It wasn't generally my style of music, but I definitely liked it.

"Well, I'm glad you like it." Alaina said, with a smirk on her face.

_Goddamnit._

* * *

Isabelle had fallen asleep somewhere along the way, and I turned the music down slightly. She was less intimidating when she slept, but only slightly so. She still looked poised to attack, even though I knew she couldn't in the state she was in at the moment. She'd give herself away before she even had the chance to attack.

I was definitely enjoying this little rune Vincent had shown me.

A soft sound chimed throughout the car, so subtle that it could be mistaken for a part of the song had I not known what it was.

"…Isabelle?" I checked. "Izzy?"

She didn't respond, or show any sign of being conscious. The sound chimed again.

It had chimed four times before I was completely satisfied that Isabelle was entirely asleep and wouldn't wake up. I pressed a button on the steering wheel.

"What the hell took you so long to answer?"

A smirk stretched itself across my face. "By the Angel, I thought you were someone _important_."

"You bitch, I'm _very_ important."

"Yes, yes, what do you want, Austen?"

"Father and Mother would like to know of your progress."

* * *

I was completely sure Alaina has noticed me watching her, but I guess not. I don't know what made me pretend to be asleep, but I'm glad I did. I had been thinking of completely random things, which she must've taken for me dreaming. I'll keep doing that.

"Father and Mother would like to know of your progress."

It was increasingly hard to keep my thoughts neutral.

"Do Father and Mother doubt my abilities?" Alaina said, her hands gripping the steering wheel.

"Of course not. Well, Father doesn't at least."

"Mom doesn't think I can handle it? Because I don't see her risking her neck right now."

"But she is," the male voice, Austen, responded. "right in the middle of Jonathan and Valentine."

"I'd much rather be there." Alaina sighed.

"Is she really that bad? I heard she was hot."

"It's not her that's the problem." Alaina responded. "It's Maryse."

My thoughts instantly flashed to the scars I had seen on Vayne, the scars that were apparently on Alaina as well, that were apparently inflicted by my own mother.

Alaina's eyes cut over in my direction, and I hastily thought of something random. I was starting to wonder if I was saying my thoughts or if Alaina was _reading _them.

"Maryse Lightwood? I heard she was hot too."

"Austen, really? Really?"

"What?"

"The woman will kill me. When she marches in here, and I know she will, she'll flip her shit when she sees _I'm _the one holding her precious daughter hostage." Alaina said, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"No one will hurt you, little sister. Not with your Prince Charming there to save you."

"Are you referring to yourself? Because I'm not sure my brother is supposed to be my Prince Charming."

"What? No, no, no I meant the other guy. The twin."

"Which one?"

"The less-creepy one. Vlad, or whatever his name is."

I had to think of something very distracting to keep myself from laughing. The voice on the other side of the phone sounded so Simon-like it was unbearable.

"His name is Vayne. And he isn't my Prince-Charming." Alaina scoffed.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, dear sister, I have been summoned by his Majesty."

"Funny."

"I'll stay in touch. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Of course." Alaina responded, her hand moving to end the call.

"Alaina," the voice called out. "Kogda pridet vremya , vy ne budete odinoki. Ya obeshchayu."

A pause. Then Alaina replied softly. "Thank you."

* * *

There were two chairs. One man, one younger.

"What of my sister, father?" the younger one spoke, his silvery hair reflecting in the light.

An exact copy of the younger one, save for his slight beard and slicked hair, sat adjacent to him. "If she stands in the way, we shall have to deal with her."

"You mean to kill your own daughter?" Sebastian asked, a smirk on his face, his black eyes gleaming.

Valentine Morgenstern turned to his son, his best impression of a smile on his face. It was more of a sneer.

"Were she truly my daughter, she would be beside me as you are, my son."

Sebastian returned his father's sneer-smile. "True, but she is only severely misguided. Caught up in her antics with the Herondale boy and that of her mother."

"She will be dealt with, one way or the other. As will anyone who stands in my way."

"Of course, father."

* * *

A/N: Hey guys. Sorry this took so long. My father died last month and I'm still pretty messed up about that. But I'm finally able to get back into my writing groove, and it helps. So here you go.

I got a pretty even amount of requests for both Alaina's POV and Isabelle's POV, so I decided to split it. Also, Austen was speaking Russian. He said "When the time comes, you will not be alone. I promise." Leave a review, or keep sending me the PMs. I adore both!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I know, I know. Where the hell have I been? I'd tell you, but it's a rather long story. (Like seriously, I could right a whole story about it. I might actually do that.) Anyway after such a long break, here's chapter 12! Finally!**

* * *

There were two groups of people: the ones trying on clothes, and the ones who sat, bored, on the bench outside.

Alaina was a part of the latter, sitting with a pile of jeans and cargo pants at her feet and a stack of t-shirts on her lap.

Isabelle was currently posing in front of a mirror, a sleek black dress clinging to her figure. Alaina's caramel eyes traced the other Shadowhunter's body lazily, she moved slowly from Isabelle's toned legs and traveled upwards until their eyes met and Alaina's eyes instantly sought something else to look at.

"That your girlfriend?" a mundane boy seated next to her said suddenly. "She's hot."

"I'm not her girlfriend." Isabelle said, whipping her head around to glare at the boy. He sank down into his chair, his face bright red.

"Quite a pair of ears she's got." He muttered, causing Alaina to laugh. The boy perked back up at the sound of her laugh and smiled. "My girl drags me out here all the time too." He grinned, jerking his head towards a tall blonde trying on boots.

Alaina looked over the girl as discreetly as she could. The girl was definitely attractive, but she wasn't gonna ogle her right in front of her boyfriend.

"She's hot, right?" he grinned.

"She's very attractive, yes." Alaina smiled back politely.

"Would you fuck her? She keeps telling me she wants to sleep with a girl, and I'm totally okay with it if I get to watch and-"

"I think I'm ready to leave now." Isabelle said, dropping several more shirts on to the pile on Alaina's lap and purposefully standing where Alaina could no longer look at the blonde girl.

"Dude, we were talking!" The guy said.

Isabelle glared so intensely at the boy next to her that he got up and sat down several seats away.

"Well," Alaina smirked. "I'll go and buy these then."

"What is wrong with you?" Isabelle huffed as Alaina balanced all of her clothes in her arms.

"You don't have enough time for me to tell you what's wrong with me."

"Wha- no I mean, you're… you act like a _boy._" Isabelle said, placing a hand on her hip. She had no problem with Alaina being gay, if Alaina even was gay.

Alaina dropped all of Isabelle's clothes on the check-out counter, flashed the cashier a brilliant smile that made the boy blush, and then turned back to Isabelle.

"Actually, I'm not acting like anything. I'm just being myself. And that is also no way to talk to someone who is buying you clothes." She smiled.

Isabelle glared at Alaina so fiercely that Alaina took a half-step backwards. The rune from earlier had worn off about a half-hour ago, and in that moment Isabelle looked very much like her mother.

The cashier saved Alaina from whatever Isabelle was about to say, and she paid for the clothes. They both exited the store, Isabelle refusing to carry any of the bags, and made their way back to Alaina's car.

With the bags carefully arranged in the trunk, they left.

About 30 minutes later, they arrived at an old, ratty, seemingly abandoned building. Isabelle immediately peeled off the glamour with her mind, revealing a tall, sleek, windowless building.

Waiting for them outside the building, wearing black jeans, a white t-shirt and black work boots, was Sebastian.

Isabelle stopped walking immediately, and Alaina turned to her.

"What are you doing? It's just Sebastian."

"I know who he is," Isabelle said through gritted teeth. "He's the asshole who killed my little brother."

Sebastian smirked and shook his head. "Women like to hold grudges, don't they?" He sighed. "I really didn't mean to kill him. Just knock him out like you. I'm sorry."

Isabelle said nothing and glared at him.

"Come on inside," he smirked. "You've got a lot of work to do."

* * *

"Are you ready?" Alaina smirked, standing across from Isabelle in a relaxed position.

"Sure," Isabelle sighed. "Not like we're about to fight like mundanes or anything."

"You'll soon see why it is effective. What happens if you lose your seraph blade while fighting?"

Isabelle turned around to see Vincent leaning against a wall. At least she thought it was Vincent.

"I get the other one. You always carry two for just that reason. Besides, I use my whip."

"Kinky." Alaina muttered.

"And what happens when you lose that one? What happens when you lose your whip?"

"Well I don't see how _this _is supposed to help with that. Am I supposed punch a 10 foot tall demon in the nose and hope it gives up?"

"Sort of." Vincent chuckled. "For now, you should pay attention to Alaina."

"Yeah, about that. I don't remember signing up for sparring classes with a bunch of miscreants. So if you could just-"

Isabelle was cut off by an arm, specifically Alaina's arm, hooking around her neck and throwing her to the ground. Isabelle gasped as the breath was knocked out of her, her eyes wide and glaring at Alaina.

"What the _fuck_?!" She gasped.

"You're supposed to be paying attention." Alaina smirked. "Get up."

Isabelle huffed, but got up. As soon as she was on her feet she had to duck as Alaina swung at her so hard she could hear it as it raced by her head.

The next swing was caught in Isabelle's grip. She twisted herself around and slung Alaina to the floor. She pressed her knee into Alaina's back and pulled her arm behind her.

"Not bad," Alaina groaned. She shoved Isabelle off of her. "Now we're getting somewhere."

* * *

"Fuck, Isabelle," Alaina gasped as the dark haired Shadowhunter laid on top of her. "That was actually _really_ good."

Isabelle smirked in a satisfied manner, and sat up. "Really? You wanna go again?"

Alaina chuckled, but winced. "No, I'm definitely done for the day."

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, I'm just not used to being thrown around like that." She said, a slight pout on her face. "You must really dislike me for you to try and break my head against the ground."

"That or you're losing your touch."

Isabelle scrambled off of Alaina, her face flushing a deep red. Alaina stayed on the ground, though she raised her throbbing head to glare at the silver haired boy in the archway.

"I'm sorry, I'm not interrupting your _sparring_, am I?" Sebastian grinned.

Alaina's glare darkened. He knew how she felt about Isabelle, and the position they had been in was less than decent.

He sauntered over to her and stuck out his hand. "You can still walk, right? We have things to do."

She glared at his hand before grabbing it roughly and pulling herself up. "I thought this was all we were doing."

"Change of plans." Sebastian sneered, turning to look at Isabelle. "Father wants to speak with her."

* * *

"Have you found anything yet?" Jace asked impatiently.

They had all rushed over to Magnus's apartment, including a frantic Maryse Lightwood; set up the summoning candles, drawn the required symbols and pentagrams, and now they were waiting.

"Patience, Shadowhunter. This is delicate work." Magnus snapped. He was currently pouring over a rather large book.

"Well if it required so much patience, what the hell did you tell us to come running over her for?" Jace whined. "I hate to admit that the almighty Jace can feel something other than perfection, but I am actually really tired."

Magnus didn't acknowledge Jace. In fact, no one did, because right then, the pentagram began glowing and Magnus began speaking.

"Everyone get back!" He shouted over the roar of wind that resulted from the pentagram springing to life. There was a terrible cracking noise as the floor began to buckle and snap and light fixtures fell off the roof.

"Magnus, what's happening?!" Jocelyn shouted from where she'd fallen on the ground. In fact, they'd all been thrown on the ground from the force of the tremors, leaving Magnus the only one standing.

"It's an illusion," Magnus shouted back. "None of this is real!"

They all glanced at each other as the walls began to collapse and the floor literally lurched upwards. Then all the lights went off and all the candles were immediately extinguished.

When everyone opened their eyes, everything was normal again and standing in the middle of the pentagram was a little boy.

Simon was the first to speak. "Okay_. What_?"

"This," Magnus started "is Anahael. Anahael is a _very_ powerful demon."

"Magnus?" Anahael spoke, his voice soft and child-like. "Magnus Bane? What on earth are you summoning me for?"

"We need your help, Anahael." Maryse spoke up. Anahael glanced at Maryse, and everyone else in the room, then settled back on Magnus.

"My help with what?"

Magnus rubbed his hands together. "We need help locating a particular Shadowhunter. Can you do that?"

Anahael grinned. "Sure. But it will not come cheap, you know." The demon's grin turned into a sneer, and then into a snarl. "Who will you offer up as payment?"

Magnus' face turned pale. "I was hoping we could come to an arrangement in that matter."

"Magnus what does he mean, payment?" Maryse asked.

"As payment for his services, Anahael takes the life of a Shadowhunter as payment. That's why it's generally illegal for him to be summoned. I knew this seemed familiar." Jace whispered. "Magnus,what the fuck were you thinking?"

"I do not have time for nonsense, Magnus Bane. Will you have payment?" Anahael hissed.

"I will." Magnus said shakily. "Once you have located our Shadowhunter, and we have her safe with us, you will have you payment."

Anahael's eyes sparkled. "Then let's get started."

* * *

"Isabelle Lightwood." Valentines voice rang out. "So nice to see you."

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same." Isabelle replied cooly.

"How are you enjoying Miss Rainer's hospitality? I hear she took you shopping today."

Isabelle narrowed her eyes. "I don't know what you're playing at. But when the Clave comes for you-"

"The Clave?" Sebastian laughed. "That ragtag team of misfits couldn't find the own shit from their asses, let alone one Shadowhunter."

Valentine fixed Sebastian with a hard glare, and he leaned against the wall in silence. It gave Isabelle a great sense of delight at the way Sebastian cowered under the gaze of his father. But then again, Isabelle noted that she felt the urge to cower under it as well. Valentine _was _an extremely powerful man.

"I have many matters to attend to Miss Lightwood. I just wanted to make sure that Miss Rainer was treating you properly."

Isabelle glanced over at Alaina who was standing almost in a corner. She hasn't said anything the whole time and her eyes were wide.

"Alaina's fine, I guess." Isabelle said, watching as Alaina's caramel coloured eyes flicked over to her and the corner of her mouth twitched upwards.

"Very good." Valentine said, standing, and Isabelle reflexively took a step back. "In that case, I leave you in her capable hands. Our goal is not to cause you any discomfort. We are simply trying to...prove a point."

And with that, Valentine walked out. Even the way he walked seemed powerful. Sebastian said something to Alaina and then followed his father out.

"Are you-" Isabelle started. She was about to ask if Alaina was okay, since she looked as if she were about to faint, but Alaina smiled such a brilliant smile that Isabelle almost started smiling.

"Come on," Alaina said breathlessly. "I have a surprise for you."

* * *

Isabelle stood awkwardly as Alaina tore off her shirt. Reflexively, she looked away, but something inside her prompted her to steal a glance. She saw scars, hundreds of them. Everywhere across Alaina's back and arms, and when she turned around, she saw more.

Then, Isabelle saw something that distracted her even more.

Alaina's abs.

Due to all the training and demon hunting, Isabelle was in pretty good shape. She had muscles, sure. Her abdomen was tight but her abs weren't visible.

Alaina's were.

And as if that wasn't enough, just under Alaina's stomach were those fucking v-lines that she loved so much. They were definitely a weakness, but she'd never seen them on a girl before.

Without thinking, Isabelle stepped closer to Alaina and dragged her fingers across the soft flesh and felt Alaina's muscles clench.

"Er Isabelle? What are you doing?"

Isabelle jerked her hand away and Alaina quickly slid a shirt on.

"I don't-"

Alaina cleared her throat. "You'd probably get dressed. I'll be downstairs."

Then she left leaving Isabelle standing there.

* * *

The room was huge. It had a high ceiling, a mural of Jonathan Shadowhunter and the Angel Raziel rising from the lake, sword and cup in hand. The walls were lined with ivory bookshelves and golden letters, millions of books filled each shelf.

The marble floor made their footsteps echo with each step they took, and a grand fireplace roared to life as they approached.

Vayne stared in amazement at the mural on the ceiling, his blue eyes dancing in the light of the fire and a smile so innocent that it brought out the pure boyishness of his face.

Vincent, however, stood stoically in the middle of the room, his eyes following the third person in the group.

"Well?" He snapped, his voice reverberating off the walls.

"_Well_," replied Cygnus, his grey eyes looking almost black. "In case you haven't noticed, there are millions of books here. It will take me a moment to find the one we are looking for."

"Well hurry up. I don't want to waste my day in a _library_." Vincent growled.

A few minutes passed, Vincent watching disinterestedly as Cygnus darted across the shelves in search of a particular book. The book in question had a lot of valuable details on a few hundred demons, some fairly weak, others dangerously powerful.

"Why do we even need a book?" Vincent asked, watching as his brother cooed over the obviously hand crafted fireplace mantle. "Why can't you just summon a random demon?"

"It doesn't work that way, Shadowhunter. In order to successfully summon the correct demon, I have to study the appropriate spells and-" he stopped, his eyes lighting up and his tail flicking excitedly. "Here! I've found it."

Vincent strode over to where Cygnus was sliding down the ladder he was on, and Vayne begrudgingly tore himself from admiring the structure of the room.

The book in question was a thick, old, solid white text, with red writing printed in demon language.

"What's it say?" Vayne asked.

"Hmm," Cygnus replied thumbing through the pages. He then smiled, his tail flicking excitedly from underneath his cloak. "It says exactly what I want it to say. We're going to have a little fun tonight."

* * *

**A/N: Okay! Well there's that. Hope you guys enjoyed. :)**


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